Switch



June 12, 1934.

L. c. HART 1,962,305

SWITCH Filed March 8, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet l lllmlll I 20 5 I: l I INVENTOR LE6 7'51? C HH/ZT A TTORNEY 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR SWITCH L. C. HART Filed March 8, 1934 June 12, 1934.

LE; v-E/Q C1 BY t 5 Sheets-Shet 3 INVENTOR 1.557526. He 27 ATTORNEY L. C. HART SWITCH Filed March 8, 1954 L. C. HART June 12, 1934.

SWITCH Filed March 8, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR LESTER C. 77 BY "6 W 2 ATTORNEY ILIII lll 1h l h l l l L. C. HART June 12, 1934.

SWITCH Filed March 8, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 AQFJTIER 1;: W ATTORNEY Patented June 12, 1934 SWITCH,

Lester 0.

Hart, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Hi-Voltage Equipment Company, a corpration of Pennsylvania Application March 8,

6 Claims.

The invention relates to electric switches, particularly those designed to handle high voltage current. A single pole unit is shown, but ordinarily a plurality of switches are interconnected for three-pole operation. The invention involves an improvement over that of my Patent No. 1,829,349, dated October 27, 1931. The present construction comprises a mechanism which gives the switch arm a series of movements similar to those of the patented switch, including an endwise movement of the arm at the moment of engagement and disengagement, insuring positive operation at this part of the cycle, regardless of the length of the switch arm. The invention has for one of itsobjects the provision of a very compact arrangement permitting all of the operating parts, including the cranks, connecting rods, etc., to be housed. A further object is the provision of a mechanism which may be operated 2o easily under all conditions of service and in which any requirement for replacement or repair in the operating elements is reduced to a minimum. One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherem:

Figure 1 isa side elevation showing the complete mechanism with the switch arm in closed position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a part of the mechanism with the casing or housing partially 30 broken away and the parts in the same. position as in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the structure of Fig. 2, but with the cover of the housing removed. Fig. 4 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2, but with some of the parts removed and with the mechanism in the position occupied after the switch arm has been withdrawn endwise to free the blade from engagement with the contact member. Fig. 5 is a view similar to that of Fig. 4, but with the mechanism in the position occupied after the switch arm has been swung to the full open position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Figs. 6 and '7 are detail plan and side elevation views respectively of a part of. the mechanism, including the triple crank. Figs. 8 and. 9 are detail plan and side elevation views respectively of an assembly consisting of the crank, crank pin, and a part of the switch arm. And Figs. 10 and 11 are detail views of the connecting rod,

Referring to the general arrangement of Fig. 1, 1 is the base member which carries the switch mechanism, such base member being shown. as horizontal, but maybe placed in other positions. Secured to the base member are the fixed insulators 2 and 3 and the movable insulator 4,

1934, Serial No. 714,644

the latter being mounted for a movement of k rotation. The insulator 2 carries the contact member 5 having a hood 6 with a slot therebeneath, into which the blade of the switch arm '7 is slid when the switch arm is in the closed position shown in full lines. The lead 8 supplies current to the contact member.

The insulator 3 has secured to its upper end the bracket 9, to which is rigidly bolted the casing 10, such casing constituting the support for the switch arm and its operating mechanism and a housing for such mechanism. A terminal member 11 is secured to the end of the casing to which the lead 12 is connected. Current is supplied from the member 11 to the switch arm by the cable connection 13.

The shaft of the insulator 4 is mounted for rotation upon the base member 1, and is provided with a crank arm 14, adapted to be connected to a suitable rod leading to the hand operating lever. The upper end of the insulator is provided with a metal cap 15 to which the crank 16 is attached by the pin 17. A connecting rod 18 has a universal connection 19 with the crank and at its other end has a universal connection 20 with the arm 21 keyed to the pin or countershaft 22 and having a pair of additional arms 23 and24 integral therewith, the parts 21, 22, 23 and 24 being referred to hereafter as a ftriple crank.

Pivoted in the casing so as to turn about the center 25 is a crank comprising the crank disc 26, the crank arm 27, the tie bar 28 (integral with 26 and 27) the pin 29 concentric with the disc 26, and the crank pin 30, such pin being journalled in the disc 26 and in the arm 27. Secured'rigidly to the end of the crank pin 30 by the pin 31 is the base portion of the vswitch arm 7. Also secured rigidly to the crank in by a pin 32 is a crank arm 33. The crank disc rotates on balls 34 in a race carried in one side wall'of the casing 10, while the pin 29, which is threaded into the other side of the casing, acts as a bearing for the crank disc and as an adjustment for the ball bearing.

A link 35 extends between the arm 24 of the triple crank and the crank arm 33, and is connected to such parts respectively by the pivot pins 36 and. 37. Pivoted at one end to the casing on the pivot 38 is the idler crank 39 and connected to the other end of this idler crank by the pivot pin 40 is the link 41. Such link has a pivot connection at 42 with the third arm 23 of the triple crank. A connection rod 44 is pivoted at one end to the pin 40 and at its other end receives the crank pin 30.

The operation of the mechanism starting with the parts in the position 'of Figs. 1, 2 and. 3, at which time the switch arm is closed, is as follows: The operating insulator 4 and crank 16 are rotated in a clockwise direction moving the connecting rod 18 to the right (Fig. 2) and swinging the triple crank (comprising the arms 21, 23 and 24) in a counter clockwise direction. From this point on, two separate sets of links and crank connections operate to give the crank pin 30 (which carries the switch arm) two distinct movements, one movement being around the center 25 as an axis to move the switch arm endwise, and the other movement being around the center line of the pin itself to give the switch arm its swinging movement through slightly over 90 degrees as later described. The first of these movements will be readily seen by comparison of the parts in Fig. 2 with those in Fig. 4. When the crank arm 23 of the triple crank swings to the position of Fig. 4, it causes the link 41 to swing the idler crank 39 to the left and moves the connecting rod 44 to the left, thus swinging the crank pin 30 in a clockwise direction from the position of Fig. 2 to that of Fig. 4. This carries theswitch arm endwise disengaging its blade from the contact member 6 (Fig. 1). During this movement of the crank pin 30, the arm 24 has swung to the left to the position of Fig. 4, together with the link 35, the pivot 37 between such link and the crank arm 33 moving on approximately a horizontal line,

so that the angle of the center line of such crank arm to the horizontal remains nearly constant. The slight deviation of the pivot 37 from a horizontal line of movement which occurs, is downward, so that during this movement, the blade of the switch arm is pressed down in the contact member 6 and any lost motion in the joints is taken up.

The rotating of the crank pin 30 about its own axis which swings the switch arm '7 from the position of Fig. 4 to the position of Fig. 5, occurs upon a further rotation of the triple crank in a counter clockwise direction until such crank and the connected parts reach the positions of Fig. 5. This movement pulls the link 35 to the left, swinging the crank 33 through an arc of somewhat over 90 degrees and rotating the crank pin 30 which carries the crank arm 7 through a corresponding angle, so that the switch arm reaches the upright fully-open position of Fig. 5. At this time, the stop 45 on the arm 24 engages the adjustable stop screw 46 screwed into a lug on the casing 10. During the rotation of the crank pin as just described, such pin is swung to the right around the crank axis 25 to the position of Fig. 5 by the movement of the connecting rod 44 to the right. After the arm 23 passes the center line 4'7, moving downward (Fig. '4), it starts to move the link 41 to the right, thus swinging the idler crank 39 and the connecting rod 44 to the right until they reach the positions shown in Fig. 5.

This completes the opening cycle of the switch. On the reverse movement of the crank 16, the cycle of movements is reversed. In the first portion of this reverse cycle, the switch arm is swung from the upright position of Fig. 5 to the horizontal position of Fig. 4, and in the second portion of the movement, the switch arm is moved endwise from the position of Fig. 4 to the positions of Figs. 2 and 1. During these movements, the connecting rod 18 is moved to the right swinging the triple crank in a clockwise direction, first to the position of Fig. 4, and then to the position of Fig. 2, the cooperating parts assuming the positions as indicated in such figures, as will be obvious without further explanation.

It will be apparent that the mechanism is positive in operation, and very compact, permitting all of the various cranks, levers, links, and the like to be housed in the casing, and protected thereby. For clearness in illustration, the shunt cable 13 is shown in Fig. 1 as outside the casing, but in practice this cable is located inside the casing. No gears are required or parts liable to get out of order; and parts subject to wear are replaceable at low cost. Other advantages as compared with previous constructions will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular arrangement of links, crank arms and other connections shown and described as carried in the casing or housing, but that it comprehends other equivalent means as covered by the claims for accomplishing the same functions, the primary consideration being the provision of operating means for giving the crank pin its series of movements of such compact arrangement that it may be surrounded and protected by the casing.

What I claim is:

1. In combination in a switch construction, a contact member, a crank member, a crank pin journalled in said member, a switch arm secured rigidly to the crank pin, a crank arm also secured rigidly to the crank pin, an operating shaft extending transversely of the axis of rotation of the crank member, a countershaft in parallel with said axis of rotation, connections between the operating shaft and the countershaft whereby the countershaft is oscillated back and forth by the oscillation of the operating shaft, a pair of crank arms carried by the countershaft, and connecting links between one of said arms and the crank arm which is secured to the crank pin and between the other of said crank arms and the crank pin itself arranged so that the rotation of the countershaft causes the crank pin to swing about the axis of the crank member to move the switch arm endwise away from the contact member and then rotate the crank pin about its own axis so as to swing such arm in an are about the axis of the crank pin as a center.

2. In combination in a switch construction, a contact member, a crank member, a crank pin journalled in said member, a switch arm secured rigidly to the crank pin, a crank arm also secured rigidly to the crank pin, an operating shaft extending transversely of the axis of rotation of the crank member, a countershaft in parallel with said axis of rotation, connections between the operating shaft and the countershaft where- 3. In combination in a switch construction, a contact member, a crank member, a crank pin journalled in said member, a switch arm secured rigidly to the crank pin, a crank arm also secured rigidly to the crank pin, an operating shaft extending transversely of the axis of rotation of the crank member, a countershaft in parallel with said axis of rotation, connections between the operating shaft and the countershaft whereby the countershaft is oscillated back and forth by the oscillation of the operating shaft, connections between the countershaft and said crank arm whereby the rotation of the countershaft rotates-the crank pin and swings the switch arm through its opening and closing arc, and other connections between the countershaft and the crank pin whereby the rotation of the countershaft moves the crank pin bodily in a direction endwise of the switch arm to cause it to engage and disengage the contact member when the switch arm is at the end of its swinging movement toward closed position.

4. In combination in a switch construction, a contact member, a casing having side members, a crank member comprising a disc journalled at its periphery in one side member, a tie bar extending laterally from the disc and provided with a crank arm, a pin carried by the tie bar in alignment with the axis of rotation of the disc and journalled in the other side member of the casing, and a crank pin journalled in the disc and crank arm and having its outer end projecting out past the outer face of the crank disc, a switch arm, secured rigidly to said outer end of the crank pin, a crank arm secured rigidly to the crank pin between said disc and the first mentioned crank arm, an operating shaft the oscillation of the operating shaft, connections between the crank arm on the crank pin and the countershaft whereby the rotation of the countershaft rotates the crank pin and swings the switch arm through its opening and closing arc, and other connections between the countershaft and crank pin whereby the rotation of the countershaft moves the crank pin bodily in a direction endwise of the crank arm to cause it to engage and disengage the contact member when the switch arm is at the end of its swinging movement toward closed position.

5. In combination in a switch construction, a contact member, a crank member, a crank pin journalled in said member, a switch arm secured to the crank pin so that it swings as such pin rotates in its journal, an operating shaft, a housing for the crank member, and connections in the housing intermediate said shaft and the crank and crank pin arranged so that the rotation of the operating shaft causes the crank pin to swing about the axis of said member to move the switch arm endwise away from the contact member and then rotate the crank pin about its own axis so as to swing said arm in an are.

6. In combination in a switch construction, a contact member, a casing, a crank disc journalled in the side wall of the casing, a crank pin journalled in the disc with one end outside the casing, a switch arm secured to said end of the crank pin so that it swings as such pin rotates in its journal, an operating shaft, and connections in the housing intermediate said shaft and the crank and crank pin arranged so that the rotation of the operating shaft causes the crank pin to swing about the axis of said member to move the switch endwise away from the contact member and then rotate the crank pin about its own axis so as to swing said arm in an arc.

LESTER C. HART. 

